During irimachi and demachi, the people present are essentially in one of two categories: gallery or guard. The collective "guard" are fan clubs waiting for / accompanying their respective stars. Because some photographers of the "gallery" can occasionally be pushy and intrusive, the clubs can be considered to be "guarding" their stars to some degree.

At both the Grand Theater and Tokyo Theater there are unspoken but commonly-recognized borders between the guard and gallery. Club staff may politely request that bystanders move if they are perceived to be crossing those lines.